New in town

Between the Buns/ Piggee's Smokehouse and BBQ / Cowboy's Southern BBQ

Whether you’re the king of the grill or
you prefer to let someone else handle all the barbecuing duties, three
new Lansing businesses will make your summer eating schedule a little
easier.

Ruben Garcia opens his specialty condiment store, Between the Buns & More, on Saturday in Holt. His line includes McClure’s Pickles (pickles, potato chips, and bloody mary mix), American Spoon (salsa, preserves and marmalades), Safie Specialty Products (pickled products, including beans, asparagus and beets), the Indiana-based brand Local Folks Food (marinara, ketchup and mustard) and Uncle Dave’s Bacon Hot Sauce.
The store will feature mostly Michigan products for now, but Garcia
said he hopes to eventually have products from all 50 states.

“You’ll be surprised how much good stuff
Michigan makes,” he said. “And everything I sell, I really like, or else
I like the story behind the product.”

Garcia, 39, started his first business, RG Distribution, three years ago as a partnership with the owner of Lansing’s El Azteco Mexican restaurant as a way to distribute its cheese dip and hot sauce into stores.

“When I started, I had 10 bucks to my
name,” Garcia said. “Now I have a fleet of vehicles and distribute all
the way to Kalamazoo. It’s crazy how much I’ve done in three years.”

He said that he intends to work with
local groups to do fundraising, and will donate 15 percent of his sales
one day each week to a local charity.

Piggee’s Smokehouse and BBQ is set to open Sunday in the former location for Turkeyman, which recently transitioned to a catering-only service. The store, kitty-corner from the Lansing Mall,
gives first-time business owner Larry Piggee 1,500 square feet to play
with, but he’ll also have a food trailer that he intends to set up on
Washington Square near Allegan in downtown Lansing at lunch and for
special events.

Piggee, 32, said he makes everything from
scratch — including his lemonade barbecue sauce — using all family
recipes. His products include his homemade, slow smoked barbecue beef
brisket, homemade baked macaroni and cheese and his broccoli, bacon and
cheddar salad that gained him attention when he used to barbecue in
front of Downtown Subs and Salads in downtown Lansing the last couple of years.

Piggee said he wants to install a patio next month and is “definitely looking” to add a beer license.

Glenn Henson (aka “The Cowboy”) opened the food stand, Cowboy’s Southern BBQ, eight weeks ago in a parking lot of Complete Hitch & Welding on Lansing’s south side. Henson said he’s planning on being open year-round and will be available for catering.

His stand offers all the usual barbecue
offerings, including ribs, brisket chicken and homemade sides, and
features the locally made Winston’s Barbecue Sauce.

Unlike other local food trucks that made the transition to brick-and-mortar restaurants, including Purple Carrot (which settled down as Red Haven) and Trailer Park’d (which became Fork In the Road), Henson said he isn’t looking to expand.

“Business has been absolutely fabulous,” Henson said. “The customers have really brought this to life.”